Perfective aspect for completed result

Level 2Sounds Like soveršennyj vid rezulʹtata

The perfective aspect (совершенный вид) is used when you want to emphasize that a task was completed and the outcome is still relevant now. It often translates to the English 'have done' or 'finished doing'.

How It Works

The resultative meaning (результативное значение) is one of the most common uses of the perfective aspect. It describes a completed action where the focus is not on the process, but on the new state that exists because of that action.

Key characteristics include:

  • Goal Attainment: The action reached its natural limit (e.g., a book was read to the end, not just 'read').
  • Persistence: The result of the action remains true at the moment of speaking.
  • Morphology: Perfective verbs are usually formed from imperfective ones by adding prefixes (делать → сделать) or changing suffixes (решать → решить).

Unlike the imperfective fact, which just mentions that an event happened in the past, the perfective resultative emphasizes that the job is done and the 'product' of that job is here.

Examples (4)

  1. Я купил билеты.

    I have bought the tickets.

    Word by Word: I bought tickets.

    The perfective verb 'купил' implies the action is finished and I now possess the tickets.

  2. Она прочитала эту книгу.

    She has read (finished) this book.

    Word by Word: She read-through this book.

    Using the perfective 'прочитала' means she finished the entire book, not just that she spent time reading it.

  3. Мы построили новый дом.

    We built a new house.

    Word by Word: We built new house.

    The result is the existence of the house. The action is complete and the result is visible.

  4. Кто открыл окно?

    Who opened the window?

    Word by Word: Who opened window?

    This implies the window is currently open. If it were closed now, a different aspect might be used.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a perfective verb to say what you are doing now.

    Different MeaningЯ сейчас напишу письмо.
    Я сейчас пишу письмо.

    The sentence is correct and common, but it is future: 'I will write the letter in a moment'. To say 'I am writing now', use the imperfective 'пишу'. Perfective verbs have no present tense.

  • Not knowing that the imperfective shows a finished visit.

    Different MeaningОн пришёл вчера, но уже ушёл.
    Он приходил вчера, но уже ушёл.

    Both are grammatical. 'Пришёл' tells the arrival as an event. 'Приходил' says he came and went, so the result (being here) is gone.

How It Connects

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Perfective aspect for completed resultLevel 2

Learn This First

To understand the perfective aspect for completed results, you need to be familiar with the past tense, as this is where the resultative meaning is most frequently expressed. Additionally, since this pattern often describes completing an action on an object, knowledge of the accusative case for direct objects is necessary. Finally, familiarity with basic aspectual pairs helps in distinguishing a completed result from an ongoing process.

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